thus spake drake: matthew sweet

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Now Downloading: New Releases 09.27.11 - Wilco, Matthew Sweet, Mastodon

It's my birthday week, so the releases have kind of taken a backseat to cake, drinks and *other* forms of merriment. Traditionally, my birthday has been pretty good for new releases, and this year is no different. There's the latest from Wilco, Matthew Sweet, metal purveyors Mastodon, along with new ones from Dum Dum Girls, Dan Mangan, Dominant Legs, Twin Sister, Spank Rock, Van Hunt, Craig Wedren, Kasabian, VHS or Beta, Sleeper Agent, Pieta Brown, the Knux along with the return of veterans like The Bangles, Mekons and Daryl Hall. Meanwhile, reissues this week include the big deluxe 20th anniversary edition of Nirvana's Nevermind and a remastering of all Pink Floyd's catalog, put together in the box set Discovery. Not a bad birthday.

Playlist: New Releases 09.27.11

Wilco - The Whole Love
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

After two albums that had Jeff Tweedy & Co. settling into a comfortable zone of parenthood, the band is back to more challenging material. Not that Tweedy's second job as father dictates his material, or that Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (the album) were necessarily "dad rock," but his oldest (Spencer) is now at the challenge age of 15 and playing in his own band. Speaking as a father of a child who is 6-going-on-13, as much you try to keep it separated, the trials and tribulations of the son(s) seep into all that you do. I'm probably projecting the fuck out of this, but The Whole Love reeks of such complications, and not just the sarcastic aside in lead single ("I Might") of "You won't set the kids on fire, but I might." The opening of the album ("Art of Almost") suggests a Radiohead-like challenge, but that turns out to be a bit of a red herring, as there's plenty of conformity throughout, making this more of a compendium of the past decade for the band and possibly their least focused release. That's not a bad thing, in fact I'd rate it their best since their holy grail (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), but it keeps it from residing in their 'top shelf.' Maybe, with the help from the father-son combo The Racoonists, the next one will reach as high.

Mastodon - The Hunter
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

For the past decade, the state of metal has always seemed to ebb and flow with but one constant: Regardless of taste, Mastodon inevitably will blow your face off. Up until now, the Atlanta quartet has mostly remained in the margins of popular music that heavy metal provides, but with The Hunter, the band threatens to break through, and most deservedly so. Forgoing the concept album formula that has dominated the past three releases (and leaving behind their proggy-er notions, for the most part), The Hunter is easily their most straightforward affair to date, and yet, it still contains the need to blow your face off. The first three songs are the closest things to hits that the band has ever produced, with the hardest hitting being the opener "Black Tongue," the prettiest being the short "Blasteroid," and the best of both worlds being lead single "Curl of the Burl." The album is born in mourning, with the death of guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds' brother, a hunter who died of a heart attack doing what he loved to do. Instead of wallowing in black, though, the band chooses to raise a fist triumphantly in his honor, and it's hard not to follow suit with each attack on the ear drums. 2004's Leviathan may still be their apex, but this is a wondrous cross-over that remains tried and true to the band's metal ethos, and you can't ask for much more than that.

Matthew Sweet - Modern Art
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When Matthew Sweet began talking about and previewing tracks from his latest, Modern Art, there was a feeling of the majesty of 1999's In Reverse and Sweet's enthusiasm for the release was indeed contagious. The result falls a bit short of both the aforementioned masterpiece and the pre-enthusiasm, but it is at it's very least, a feast for headphone listening. Relying less on his songwriting craft, Modern Art is more about building moods, sounds and harmonies that evoke the past -- more 'art' than 'modern' to be sure. There's nothing here that quickens the pulse, as any prior release could boast, but because it's such an intimate affair, it's missed opportunity that's easy to forgive. This is all Brian Wilson's Smile, the Beatles at their haziest mixed with a dose of the Byrds -- a potent mix that only begs for a touch of Neil Young's Crazy Horse to make it complete.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Now Downloading: New Releases 08.26.08

It's indie pop lovers' delight this week, with new releases from power pop legend Matthew Sweet, XTC-ish The Week That Was (ex Field Music,) and a wider release for Delta Spirit's debut, which was originally released late last year.

Playlist: New Releases 08.26.08

Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

This album quickly shoots to the top of my 'Best Albums from 2008 (that were really from 2007)' year end list, as it was originally released (limited) in November of last year. Fittingly enough, Delta Spirit fits nicely in your alphabetically ordered CD collection between Cold War Kids and Dr. Dog, as Ode To Sunshine seems to take what I like about both those bands. It's the kind of album I wish Cold War Kids would've made, full of strong melodies and focused energy. Or it's like Dr. Dog both cleaned and woke up, still weaving classic pop sounds of the past, but utilizing better production and... well... a bit more energy. Perhaps this is a lazy observation, but it's pretty spot on to my ears. The song "Trashcan" illustrates the similarities and improvements on the aforementioned bands perfectly. I don't harp on this to say that the San Diego quintet is overly derivative, because even though they've toured with both bands in the past, improving upon an existing product is always welcomed. It's the pale imitation that rightly draws the tomato.

Free album stream from AOL

Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

It's Matthew Sweet here we're talking about, so I so wanted to like Sunshine Lies more than I actually do. I always will welcome Sweet's songs couple with Richard Lloyd (Television) guitar outbursts ("Let's Love,") but this album is pretty uneven. There's enough meat here to sound like hardest hitting album Sweet's done since is breakout Girlfriend, but there's a lot of moments that seem lost, just biding time for the harmonies (like with Susanna Hoffs on "Sunshine Lies") or guitar solo to kick in. "Byrdgirl" pays homage to Roger McGuinn with it's driving 12-string and Byrds' (and Hollies') harmonies, and there's a lot of other 60's appreciation throughout. But in the end, all the pieces don't add up to a sum large enough to pay to Sweet's legacy as a power-pop pioneer.

Free album stream from AOL

The Week That Was - The Week That Was
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The great Field Music may have dissolved last year, but projects that have come from out of that union have been just as much an XTC love fest as their predecessor. The Week That Was marks the second such project to emerge from Field Music, following in the heels of the excellent School of Language debut, Sea From Shore, which featured David Brewis playing all the instruments. Brother Peter is up to bat here, and he brings brother David (ex-Futureheads) and Andrew Moore into the mix this time, making this, in makeup at least, the closest thing to Field Music since they've gone on hiatus. Inspired in part by the intricate storytelling of novelist Paul Auster, The Week That Was is a high concept album of crime and media as if delivered by XTC. It's smart, sharp, beautiful and incredibly short in it's 32 minutes. And while part of me still aches for the return of Field Music, it's nice to know that along with School of Language, the amount of smart pop has doubled in it's wake.

More on the radar this week:
The Verve - Forth / Free album stream from AOL
Motorhead - Motorizer
Raine Maida - The Hunter's Lullaby
System and Station - A Nation of Actors / Full Album Stream (Fanatic Promotion)
Rocket from the Crypt - All Systems Go, Vol. 3
The Gabe Dixon Band - The Gabe Dixon Band / Free album stream from AOL
Backyard Tire Fire - The Places We Lived / Free album stream from AOL / "The Places We Lived" [mp3]
Pop Levi - Never Never Love
The Game - LAX
Duchess Says - Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs
Jupiter One - Jupiter One
Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown
JJ Grey & Mofro - Orange Blossoms
The Silent Years - The Globe / Free album stream from AOL / "The Black Hole" [mp3]
Solange Knowles - Sol-Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams
Little Feat - Join the Band
B.B. King - One Kind Favor
Cordero - De Donde Eres / "Guardasecretos" [mp3]
Electric Touch - Electric Touch / "Who Put the Fire Out" [mp3]
REISSUE
Hindu Love Gods - Hindu Love Gods

tags: music, album review, delta spirit, matthew sweet, the week that was, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody